Club News

EYC sail to Greenhithe

On Sunday 9th of June, a cloudy day with a gentle force 2 wind emanating from the South, several EYC members sailed to Greenhithe. The lower Thames presented itself with a certain stark beauty, enthralling the sailors as they navigated downstream around the corner and made their way close hauled towards the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, putting in the occasional tack, always trying to find those patches of the river with the strongest wind. A fairly large bird flew overhead, mildly curious as to why the members were there, but largely ignored them to search for something edible that might be floating on the outgoing tide. The bird ejected a streamer of pungent grey mass from its posterior, gradually falling through the sky to land on Scott at the helm of the safety boat: a somewhat sticky omen of good luck for himself and EYC.

Finally, the members reached the long slipway of the Pier Hotel in Greenhithe. Edd, Jerry, John, Bob, Dave, Adrian, Sara, Scott, Wass, Oliver, and David were among those who were there. They bonded over a hearty lunch and a few drinks, while exchanging stories of seafaring or more of a land based nature, a conversation ranging from crude to erudite; concise to circuitous. Fortified by the wholesome provisions afforded by this most friendly establishment, they waited for the tide to turn before reembarking and racing back to Erith Yacht Club, a race won by Edd and Jerry. Many thanks to Scott who volunteered in the Safety Boat, one of two new additions to our growing roster of qualified and valuable safety boat drivers.

P.S. I wasn't there and have used a degree of artistic licence. I pieced together the story from the photos below and some guesswork ... so if anyone sends me a better version with extra photos I will post it :)